The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry headquarters. [Provided by KCCI]
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry headquarters. [Provided by KCCI]

Seventy-four regional chambers of commerce and local businesses have joined forces to support neighbors struggling to afford basic food and daily necessities amid financial hardship.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Entrepreneurship Round Table (ERT) visited the Geunyangdeurim On-Lounge at Hwaseong Naraewool Community Welfare Center on Monday and announced plans to support the program as the first project under its nationwide joint social contribution initiative.

KCCI Chairman Chey Tae-won, Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong, Korea Social Welfare Council Chairman Kim Hyeon-hun and Hwaseong Special City First Deputy Mayor Yun Seong-jin attended the event. Participants held a roundtable to share the initiative's goals and regional support plans before a donation ceremony.

The joint challenge is a nationwide social contribution project bringing together all 74 regional chambers and ERT member companies across the country.

Since 2023, the regional chambers have pursued a range of community-focused social contribution activities — environmental cleanups, support for multicultural families and local revitalization efforts — following the rollout of a new entrepreneurship declaration in each region. The joint challenge marks the first time the chambers have united around a single shared social issue to tackle it collectively.

The first issue selected is the Geunyangdeurim program run by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The choice reflects growing recognition of the importance of public-private partnerships in identifying households that fall through the welfare safety net and connecting them with needed resources.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of people identified as falling outside the welfare safety net reached about 1.37 million last year — more than 12 times the figure from a decade ago. Of those, 880,000 households received welfare services, a record high.

All 74 regional chambers will take part in the project through financial contributions, in-kind donations, campaigns and promotional activities tailored to local conditions. Of those, 21 chambers and 10 regional member companies will provide about 200 million won ($134,000) in cash and goods. The remaining chambers plan to run outreach campaigns to broaden participation among local businesses and residents.

"This joint challenge is significant as the first collaborative model in which chambers nationwide tackle a single social issue together," a KCCI official said. "We will continue to identify social problems that resonate with chambers and local businesses across the country and expand them into nationwide action projects."

Health and Welfare Minister Jeong said the gaps in the welfare safety net can only be filled when businesses — those closest to local communities — take an active interest and get involved. "The Ministry of Health and Welfare will spare no support and encouragement so that companies participating in the Geunyangdeurim program can take pride in what they do," she said.

The ERT is a council of companies committed to the spirit of new entrepreneurship — using the technology, culture, and human and material resources businesses have built up to address social challenges and contribute to society. Launched in 2022, it now counts all 74 regional chambers of commerce and about 2,000 companies as members.


yeongdai@heraldcorp.com